Opening day keeps getting closer and closer! Every day more work gets accomplished, and the building continues to look more and more like a store. It is really impressive and exciting. Soon we will all once again have a place to get our groceries and meet with our friends.
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Membership Drive:
Over the next few days we will be pushing to build our membership. Membership is what will make the Co-op work. It will be really helpful for us to establish as many members as we can prior to opening. We are waiving set-up fees for a short time so it is a good time to join. At this time we are encouraging all that can to buy a full share membership. This means you will not need to buy any more shares in the future--remember this is ownership--your stock purchase is refundable. A full share is $300.00. Another option is to make an annual share purchase of $50.00, and your next share purchase isn’t due for one year. Membership includes voting rights, ownership, 5% store discounts every day, additional discounts on Members Appreciation Days, local discount at participating businesses, case lot savings and patronage refunds. So many reasons to join!

You can check out our progress and become a member on the web or in person. Stop by any weekday morning between 8am and 10am or you can call Peter at 707-882-3663.

Keeping it Cool!:
Big News. One of the biggest costs in starting a market is refrigeration, and it is generally very expensive. North Coast Refrigeration in Fort Bragg was able to find all of our refrigeration needs in used equipment right here on the coast. We were able to buy an 11-door merchandising walk-in, a 16 foot produce cooler and an 8 foot freezer at tremendous savings! All of the equipment is in excellent condition. This represents 3 times the refrigeration, double the produce and about triple the freezer space we had at The Record and allows us the capability to carry a broader spectrum of the goods our community needs.

Still Need Equipment:
There are a few items that we are still looking for. I will continue to update this list and send it out in case any of you have any leads. Right now we are looking for a desktop computer that runs with windows XP. We could use some other office equipment as well, phones, printer/fax, file cabinets. Call 707-882-3663 if you can help us out.

In the market we are looking for a soup and salad bar. These are sometimes known as a hot and cold merchandiser. We would be looking for one with all the necessary components to meet health codes. You can call the number above if you have any leads on this type of equipment.

Website Update:
Check out www.arenaorganics.org our website for updates and new pages. We are continuing to bring our online presence up to speed. You can also get a member application there and join today!